3 Ways To Make Your Press Release Stand Out From The Crowd

The dawn of the digital era has lowered the bar for brands with something to shout about. Previously, press releases were the domain of big companies with significant marketing budgets and agencies on-side. However, online repositories mean that virtually anyone can publish a release with ease these days.

Unfortunately, this has led to journalists being inundated with a daily deluge of releases in their inboxes and generated stiff competition for their attention. Having experienced both sides of the fence, in this guide I’ll give you the low down on how to make your release garner the attention it deserves.

# 1. Write with targets in mind

The first step in crafting a release – whether in-house or with the help of an agency – is to create it from the ground up with your targets firmly at the front of your mind. This applies to both your target audience and the publications you’ll be approaching with the finished piece. Apply some empathy, add interest and restrict yourself from veering towards advertising-style copy.

# 2. Bypass bland babble

One common problem with press releases, and especially those produced in-house, is that the newsworthy elements are drowned out or overwhelmed by promotional prose.

Journalists have a mandate to write an interesting article, so you have to be realistic about the type of publicity this method will generate. One good exercise is to compare an original release to the finished article. You’ll undoubtedly see that the vast majority of superfluous information is jettisoned in favour of the key facts.

Creating an interesting release will make it much more likely to be used and seen by more people – even if you can’t shout about your product or services for nine paragraphs.

# 3. Topical affair

Keeping newsworthiness in mind will also be a boon when it comes time to single out a subject for your release. While a new hiring, promotion or product might be big news within your company – it’s unlikely to garner much interest.

That’s not to say you can’t use stuff in this vein however, just make sure you approach it in a way that will appeal to your target audience. For instance, taking on new staff from the local area could be tackled with a view towards stimulating the local economy – which would make a great story for regional publications. Similarly, a promotion or competition run in an interesting way will almost certainly be more exciting than simply offering 50 per cent off something in January.

You can break down the types of topic you’ll be using into three main types – thought leadership, growth and expansion, and promotions. But within these fields, you’ve got a lot of leeway, so think outside the box and get creative.

Chase it up (within reason)

Once you’re ready to distribute your release, it’s well worth chasing it up with the publications and journalists you’re targeting. However, you shouldn’t take this as a license to pester them – simply get in touch and see how useful it is, whether there’s anything you can add or change, or perhaps offer follow-up comments on the issue at hand.

Creating a press release shouldn’t be a box-ticking activity and by approaching the task empirically and methodically, you’ll be leaps and bounds ahead of the competition – especially those abiding by outdated conventions and producing monotonous material.

Gerald Heneghan is a specialist marketing writer with Custard Media. He brings his background in traditional and online journalism to bear on the latest marketing trends and practices for a variety of web-based publications.
http://www.prfire.co.uk/

Add Your Comment

http://tweakyourbiz.com/ Niall Devitt

Hi Gerald, I agree that the key point is having something newsworthy in the first instance, or else strategically targeting, at a time, when news is less – so as to give the best possible chance of getting your info published.

http://twitter.com/aroit Alex Roitman

Having a target in mind is key! Not only the audience that reads the news outlet, but more importantly the person reading your release. As the gate keeper, he/she will decide whether your PR is newsworthy. I’m glad you started off with this point. Great post!

http://www.leadsandappointments.com/ Anika Davis

Including the newsworthy elements to plug your business or products. As what you have said creating an interesting release will make it much more likely to be used and seen by more people. It’s true! Give the best that you can to get the attention of the readers or audience.Those advice will help you make your release stand out from the crowd.

Derbhile Graham

Good advice, particularly about focusing on the story aspect rather than the promotional aspect. That’s where businesses fall down. It’s all about the newsworthy angle, which you can find even if there’s nothing major happening in your business.

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